Lando Norris won the Singapore Grand Prix unchallenged, with the Ferrari SF-24 cars were far from the front row and even Max Verstappen was unable to put pressure on his McLaren MCL38 single-seater. Red Bull managed to improve things in the qualifying session at the 4.94-kilometre Marina Bay Street Circuit, giving the Dutchman a decent car, but the setup compromised the first part of the race with a heavy fuel load.
A Red Bull engineer revealed: “We took some good risks by completely changing Friday’s setup, focusing less on race pace. We knew Max would maximize his position at the start.” Lando Norris had a 26-second lead over everyone after 28 laps, though in the second stint he was less dominant. The British driver later admitted it wasn’t just tire management: “I wasn’t as comfortable on the Hards as on the Mediums. I wanted a gap to change tires and go for the fastest lap, so I pushed a bit too much…”
The only real challenger could have been Charles Leclerc’s SF-24, but by the time the Ferrari driver’s race truly began, he was already 63 seconds behind – the same gap he had at the finish line. Without a safety car, Ferrari realistically achieved the maximum on Sunday after their minimum performance on Saturday in qualifying.
Max Verstappen hasn’t won since the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona, while McLaren has won three of the last four races. Despite the controversy over their self-banned wing, McLaren has excelled on tracks with opposite characteristics and a full range of corners. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were able to take the final double corners 4-5 km/h faster than their closest competitors, while Mercedes was 10 km/h slower at that point. This shows that the MCL38 has significantly more efficient downforce than any other car. No one knows where the revised Ferrari stands on a more standard circuit, especially in terms of qualifying performance, but if the United States Grand Prix would take place tomorrow at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, it seems unlikely there would be much competition, and the sprint format wouldn’t help the competition against the current level of Mclaren.
Max Verstappen can still play it safe, while McLaren has momentum. Ferrari, meanwhile, holds a pivotal role, as Mercedes is stuck in a technical hole during the break.
Both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris are hoping for the same thing: that someone will take points from their direct rival. Ferrari can do that with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, provided they qualify better and don’t have to start from the midfield as was the case in the Singapore Grand Prix. Max Verstappen is defending his lead well because no one is perfect, but the last four races show that his position could come under threat, especially once Oscar Piastri puts himself in the position to help his McLaren teammate, which will clearly be a key factor in the final six rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 championship. The reigning world champion can afford to lose 8 points per weekend, but not 9. According to the Milton Keynes team, if victory is out of reach, the goal should be to beat one of the two McLaren cars.
Shifting the focus back to Ferrari, it is worth pointing out that the Maranello team’s wind tunnel has been fully operational for several days, focusing heavily on project 677, namely the Formula 1 car for the upcoming championship.
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Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur admitted that the United States Grand Prix will see the last step for everyone: “We’re focused on the 2025 car, but since the cars will be an evolution of the current ones, development doesn’t stop.” The new Ferrari car will feature an updated front suspension. In Maranello, the technicians and engineers have already introduced a new front wing, which was initially paired with a revised floor for the SF-24 single-seater. The wing has a different design from the previous version, directing airflow more forcefully toward the outer deflector. Simply put, it’s a more efficient wing for high-speed corners. The technical team expects to optimize it further with a medium-high downforce rear wing. The Singapore Grand Prix was Ferrari’s last race without a true technical director, as Frederic Vasseur had been handling the role temporarily. After the break, Jerome D’Ambrosio will officially take on the role of deputy team principal, and Loic Serra will assume the position of technical director, forming a French-speaking trio of leadership alongside Frederic Vasseur, as confirmed by F1 expert Giuliano Duchessa for formu1a.uno.
Medium-high downforce levels are expected in Austin, while in Mexico, the more downforce, the better.
The final developmental steps are expected after this autumn break. Engineers are hoping for corrected floors for Red Bull and Mercedes, while McLaren – as team principal Andrea Stella already announced – isn’t finished as well and will have new parts to install. Miami went well, but the sprint weekend format always calls for caution, especially for those with a technical advantage.
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